Showing Your Home During the Holidays

Less is more... and that is true especially at this time of the year if you have your home listed. I have shown property where every shelf is covered with some kind of holiday paraphenalia. You name it: trains around the tree, mantles with snow globes, wreath in every window, villages lit up, snow sprayed on window panes, Santa collections... the list goes on. I have tripped over the holiday decorations.

Instead, have a couple of tasteful decorations. Start outside. If you celebrate Christmas, put a wreath on the door and buy a spotlight to shine on the wreath. If you have window boxes, stick some greenery in the boxes. (If the dirt is frozen, you might have to drill in openings to insert sprigs.) For outside, I suggest you limit your decorations to wreath, spot light and greens unless you want to put white lights on a tree. That would be fine also.

Inside, bring the aroma of the holidays with spruce spray available at gift shops. Don't over do it. Or, just before a showing, heat some cider and put in a cinnamon stick. Add vanilla to aluminum foil and heat it in the oven to activate the smell. This technique sure takes less time (and calories consumed) than making cookies!

If you have a tree, make it a size appropriate to your home. If you have tall cathedral ceilings, this is a great way to show how soaring the spaces are. If you have a small house, get a small tree. Our house in Burlington is small and even our small tree overwhelms the space. Don't let your house look small with a big tree.

If you have several collections that you love, just pick one. You are selling a home, not a gift shop! The mantle, a side table or a coffee table is a good place for the collection.

Set your dining room table with a nice colored table cloth, and put place settings around as if you are about to entertain. It lets people feel it is their home and they will identify with the spirit by picturing themselves entertaining in your (their future) home.

Keep the mantra, less is more, and your house will look perfect for holiday showings.

"Our House" -- Wicked Comfort Food

We LOVE Our House in Winooski! It's in the old Sneaker's space, at 36 Main Street. In the summer there is outdoor eating. But frankly, I love it most in the colder months. After all, it features comfort food and I need comfort food most when it's cold.




I admit, I'm crazy about macaroni and cheese. This is mac and cheese on steroids -- huge serving! You lift your fork up and there are stings of cheese connected to the dish. Yum. Don't think of the calories. When you're needing comfort food, you can't think of calories. My favorite is the Mediterranean. It has curly macaroni, cheddar and feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, spinach and artichoke hearts. The serving is so large you barely put a dent in it until you've eaten about ten bitefuls. You might be full before you finish the serving but you'll be compelled to eat more because you can't stand to stop!

Here is the menu for dinner: http://www.ourhousebistro.com/#!cuisine/vstc3=dinner-menu

There are so many kinds of macaroni and cheese! You can make your own or pick one of their creations like South West: Grilled corn, black beans, roasted peppers, chipotle cream sauce,
cheddar & topped with fried tortillas or Surf n Turf: Shaved steak, shrimp, cheddar & topped with
fried onion strawsHow about Chicken Parmesan: Breaded pan-fried chicken breast, parmesan cheese,
diced tomato, basil & topped with marinara parmesan & mozzarella cheeses. It's hard to decide.
Other great meals of comfort food include Reuban Sandwich, open face turkey, chicken pot pie, grilled cheese and soup, mushroom risotto, fish tacos, fantastic french fries. The list is really long. And this is just dinner. When you visit ourhousebistro.com you'll see all the menus under cuisine.

The decor is great too -- nice bar where you can sit and have dinner and chat with the very busy bartender. Some of the tables are the high types with bar stools. Very nice. On the shelves around the restaurant are old lunch boxes -- think Batman... Dennis the Menace... Star Wars... The Brady Bunch... You get the idea. There are also Rubick Cubes at each table and a little container of Play
Doh so you can enjoy the wait for your meal. (Not a long wait.)




We love Winooski!




Winooski, a little city in one square mile is a fun place to live or visit. It's close to Burlington, close to the Winooski River, has great walking paths along the river and has a Community YMCA. Housing is affordable and there is a great variety of architecture. It's close to I89 also. Check it out at http://www.onioncity.com/

The Cascades are the newest addition to the revitalization of Winooski - more expensive than the older houses but if are looking for modern condos with all the conveniences, this is the place. Check this out: Condos ranging in all prices, underground parking, on-site work out area and right on the river.


Hope you'll give Our House a try -- and also be sure to go to Sneakers. I will give a review on that another day.

Colors in Your Home - Psychology Lesson?

On rainy days I love visiting the paint section of Home Depot or Lowe's. Why? Because it gives me a boost to think of how I can change the mood of my home by changing the paint color. I grab lots of samples, especially the historic home series, and then bring them home to see them in the light of our house. For less than $40/gallon, I can transform a room into a fresh living space, and change it as often as I like.

As a former art teacher, I know there is psychology of color -- For my design class, I asked students on a test, "If you are the coach of a football team and you want your opponents to relax during half time, what color would you paint the visiting locker room?" Most got the answer right - any cool color like blue or green.

I recently took a look at the website freshome.com and to create peace and tranquility, they suggest pink! Made me think about a "brain walk" I completed recently. In the exercise, I think of a challenge in my life, write a question directed at fixing that challenge, and then trace my finger along a winding maze -- to the center color of pink. My friend and coach Kim DuBrul says to think of the color pink when you want to relax. (Visit Kim at youryearoftransformation.com)

It made me start thinking of room colors. The website says to change your colors during certain seasons -- warm colors in the winter make the house seem warmer both visually and termperature-wise also as darker, warmer colors absorb light. In the summer, paint the rooms a cooler color. I am not sure I would want to do this every season! But this seems like a good idea if you are selling in a particular season. Why not paint your entry way a warm and inviting color? Then the room next to it can also be a warm color. We have shades of rust and gold in our entry and living room. If your furniture is neutral, it can easily fit in with a color change of the walls.

The website suggests you carefully choose the paint for the bathroom and do not choose one that does not complement your skin tones -- in other words, I won't wear bright yellow because it makes my skin look sallow. Very few people look good in bright yellow. So, paint the bathroom a color that looks good "on people." When someone is looking at a house to buy, they often glance in the mirror. They may be unconsciously turned off because the color makes them look bad! Try blue -- everyone looks good in blue!

Red kitchens make you hungry -- do they also make you feel like cooking? If that is the case, then paint a wall in your kitchen red, inviting the potential buyers to feel like cooking! Better still, be sure to add a plate of cookies to the counter during showings so they not only smell a great kitchen but they picture themselves cooking there. Beware of red in the bedroom.... the website says that red walls can up your blood pressure and can make you agitated. Not something you want to promote when you are trying to relax!

My bedroom is yellow right now. Maybe it's time to visit Home Depot and grab a gallon of cool-colored paint.

Essex Junction, VT - Crafts Fair and more!

There are so many wonderful craftsmen in Vermont and they gather at the Essex Junction Fairgrounds on October 26, 27 and 28. This is a great opportunity to get presents for the holidays. And if you are selling your home or have just bought a new home, it's a great opportunity to buy a special item for your home! http://www.vtcrafts.com/interiornav.php/pid/2/sid/5





Essex Junction is the home of IBM, one of the biggest employers in the state. It has a wonderful, walkable center with shops, the library and the town offices. The center area is called 5 Corners.





The Fairgrounds host events all year. Their biggest event is the fair at the end of the summer with rides, great food (don't tell my doctor about the french fries and fried dough) and exhibits. One of my favorite exhibits in the summer is the bonsai exhibit. There are several large halls for displays of everything from crafts to hot tubs.

Monthly Market Update - Comparing Quarters

 

In comparing the third quarter of last year to this year, we are seeing very good signs of market improvement.  Median and average prices in Chittenden County were up about 7.5%. This is great news. The median price for condo sales was down 6.5% but the average was up 4.5%. The number of day on market stayed approximately the same in single family homes and condos from last year to this year: 100 days average for single family homes and 88 days average for condos.

In the Franklin County towns of Fairfax, Georgia, Highgate, St. Albans Town and City, we saw an increase of about 10% in both median and average sales prices. We are ecstatic to see this market improvement. It shows us that people are willing to drive farther outside of Chittenden County to get the homes they want. The average sales price is $125,000 lower in those Franklin County towns compared to Chittenden County. So, a great “bang for the buck” in Franklin County.

Our friends in the Grand Isle towns of South Hero, North Hero and Grand Isle are still experiencing low numbers of sales so it is difficult to make market statements from only 13 sales (14 last year for the same time period.) However, if we take those numbers, the market increased in both median and average prices due to some higher priced sales this year. We hope this is a trend that continues!

People ask, “Is it a buyers’ or sellers’ market?” The question can be answered most accurately when looking at individual towns as sales vary from town-to-town. But if we look at Chittenden County as a whole, there is a 6.5 month supply of houses on the market and a 4.5 month supply of condos. This means that in theory if no new homes came on the market, it would take 6.5 months to empty the supply of houses and 4.5 months to empty the supply of condos.  This is called the “absorption rate.” A five to seven month supply indicates a “level market.” If we had less than a five month supply it would be a sellers’ market; over seven months is a buyers’ market. It will be interesting to see what the data is at the end of this year. These figures definitely show an improvement.  

We are optimistic that the combination of low interest rates and buyer perception that the bottom was reached will continue to boost housing sales. We must always be cautious in our analysis because we want to wait to gather data over a longer period of time, but comparing third quarters, we are feeling extremely encouraged.

Foliage Tours

Every year I take my "Foliage Sojourn" either to Chester A. Arthur's birthplace, or at least to Fairfield, Vermont. I take exit 19 - the St. Albans exit off I89 and at the end of the ramp turn right, then the first right onto the road to Fairfield. I know I should make note of the route numbers, but I have taken this trip every year for 20 years, and I know it by heart.

I stop at certain places -- at the crest of a hill by a farm house where years ago, the old dog barked the entire time while we stood across the street and look out at the most amazing panorama of hill truly looking aflame with the foliage. The hills had to be full of sugar maples as the red and orange rubbed up against each other and lit up the hills.

A little farther toward Fairfield on the left is a swampy area with a wall of maples. Because we can dry right by them, the look even brighter. Then closer and closer we come to Fairfield center and the foliage continues to be colorful. Some areas get dull -- the oaks and birches are brown or yellow - but the trip to Fairfield is bright with reds, oranges and yellows.

Next stop is the bakery in the center next to the town hall. You can get a great sandwich there or pastry. Then follow the signs to the birthplace of Chester A. Arthur. We pass fields of black and white cows, prosperous farms and not-so-prosperous ones. It's hard to survive as a farmer in Vermont, but Fairfield is full of dairy farms!

I don't do much when I get to the birthplace. Just sit for a bit and then turn around. But I drive that route every year.

This year, I added a new route that we took today. We drove to Bristol along the back roads and got a sandwich at the bakery on the main street. We heard about going over the Appalachian Gap but we didn't know how to get there. Well, it's Route 17 out of town toward South Starksboro. Unfortunately, the foliage had past peak, but Dave and I had a nice ride. We turned left toward Huntington where the elevation was lower and there were more leaves to see. Then the route took us to Richmond and the famous Round Church. After that we stopped at the Old Red Mill in Jericho where we took some photos and took a tour of the Snowflake Bentley Museum. Snowflake Bentley lived in Jericho and was the first to photograph snowflakes and discover that no two are alike. After that, it was back to Burlington.


I love the colors of autumn in Vermont although it signals the end of summer and the coming of winter. Taken as a season of its own, it'sone of the most beautiful in Vermont -- picture postcard material! It's a time to relax and slow down.

From Mourning to Night - At the Fleming Museum

I love our little Fleming Museum at the University of Vermont in Burlington. Tonight I went to the reception for the new show called "From Mourning To Night," a show with two large John Singer Sargent paintings. Displayed near the paintings are black capes and black dresses that would be worn in mourning. The idea was that black was only used in mourning until it became included in fashion.

The curator's comments about the exhibit are these:
"Black in Fashion will consider John Singer Sargent's role in popularizing the color black in America as a choice for high fashion, altering its association from a color chiefly associated with mourning dress, as a signal of sexual experience, or working class wear. These associations waxed and waned throughout the nineteenth-century, and often operated simultaneously. In America, however, black as a choice for high fashion lagged behind its European counterparts. As this exhibition aims to demonstrate, John Singer Sargent played a role in transmitting black as a fashionable color in couture in America through his publicly exhibited portraits, circle of fashion forward clientele, and his own sartorial selections he chose for his sitters."

First, there was a lovely reception with hors d'oeuvres. In the background a stringed duet played classical music. The setting for the reception was beautiful, at the bottom of a grand marble stairway.

It is a small exhibit but a good reason to visit the Fleming Museum -- be sure to see their permanent exhibits.

After the reception, my friend and I went to eat at "Cafe L'Hospital" which is my name for the cafeteria at the hospital next door. I know, I know, sounds strange,  but it is great, freshly made food with a fabulous salad bar. We had a half of a pesto pizza on very thin crust, salad and a brownie for $3.50  Fun night!

For more information, check out

http://www.uvm.edu/~fleming/index.php?category=exhibitions&page=sargent

Using the Winter to Get Ready to Sell

We have sellers who asked us to come see their house, evaluate the market price, and make suggestions to get their home ready to sell. They want to put it on the market in February or March of 2013, the time of year when more listings come on the market.

Here are some things we suggested that are specific to their house but will be helpful for others planning on doing the same thing.

• Declutter -- remove the majority of knick knacks from shelves, clean out bookcases and pack away, make sure closets are neat and do not look stuffed to the gills, get small items off bureaus, countertops, etc. Yes, you are going to live there for awhile, so it will feel a little Spartan, but you might as well get used to this way of living.
• Basement -- clean and get rid of unncessary items. Either have a garage sale or give them away. Be brutal. If you haven't used the items for awhile and you don't anticipate using them, get rid of them. Get shelving and large plastic bins. Fill up the bins with similar items. (That will help you decide to get rid of much of the stuff.) Label the outsides and place them on the shelving. If you can paint the walls and the floor. Check with a painting company for the right paint.
• Garage -- Ditto with the basement. Go on Pinterest.com for some great garage storage ideas. Or at the very least, hang up all the tools.
• Attic -- Okay, double ditto... We personally have boxes we haven't opened in four years. We are opening them and getting rid of things ourselves over the winter. You'll do yourselves a big favor getting rid of junk over this season.
• Wallpaper -- These folks have way too much wallpaper for most buyers. I told them which rooms to strip. After they strip those rooms, I'm going to suggest they strip the others. There was just too much for me to tell them to remove -- too overwhelming -- so they can do in stages. And, those home improvement perfectionists will scream at this next suggestion, but if they truly can't cope with removing the wallpaper in some rooms, or in the case of an old house if the plaster is being held together with the wallpaper, I say paint BIN over the walls and seal it in!
• Yard -- get rid of the elves and trolls and cutsie deer statues in the garden. And definetly get rid of the deer target in the back yard. While they are at it, get rid of the stuffed deer in the living room! Lots of buyers react negatively to stuffed animal trophys.
• Mudroom -- This one needed cleaning and painting. If this is the best entrance to the house, make sure it looks uncluttered, bright and cheerful. You truly only have one chance to make a good impression.

This is their winter "homework." I'll come back in February and see how they've done. Meanwhile, I'm going to take my own advice and go room-by-room and get my house in order -- not for selling, but for living clutter free!

Rural Development for Buyers - 100% Financing

USDA has a program called Rural Development designed to help buyers purchase homes in more rural areas. Some of the towns in Chittenden County are Williston, Jericho, and Underhill to name a few. Essex, Colchester and Milton are currently available but will be off the list by October 1. Most towns in Franklin County are included -- in fact, throughout the state, very few towns are not included.

The key piece that helps buyers is that the loan is 100% financing! Yes, 100%! And the rate, which of course, is not a constant, is low! Today at a closing the buyers closed with a 3.25% interest rate! In this case, the buyers also received some closing costs from the seller.

We have done Rural Development loans that were 100% financing and the sellers contributed 100% of the closing costs! In other words, there was no money for the buyer to bring to closing. In fact, he got his contract deposit back at closing! He had to come up with money for inspection, appraisal, radon test, and other miscellaneous fees. But to be able to buy a home for no money down and pay no closing costs is amazing.

Rural Development appraisals are strict in order to transfer a safe property to the new buyer. For instance, if there are electrical issues or peeling paint in a pre-1978 home with the potential of lead paint, the appraiser notes the deficiencies. In past closings, peeling paint has been painted and electric issues repaired before the house closed. In fact, on a sale in Winooski, we as agents were told about having to scrape and peel paint only a few weeks before closing. The sellers couldn't afford to have the work done. Dave and I are certified for safe handling of lead paint. So, what did we do? We scraped and painted with a team of REALTORS in our office! I hope we never have to do that again, but we go the extra mile!

For the right buyer, in the right town, this is a great program. Be sure to talk to your mortgage officer about USDA's Rural Develpment to see if you qualify.

Istanbul Kabob House at Cornerstone Commons



Istanbul Kabob House www.istanbulkebabhousevt.com



I went to a great restaurant tonight on Kellogg Road in Essex. Located at Cornerstone Commons, this restaurant offers great dining for the area and a special feature of Cornerstone Commons. How many condo associations can boast that they have a great restaurant on site? The Istanbul Kabob House offers all kinds of Turkish and Mediterranean foods. Prices are reasonable and the variety is impressive. I do not eat meat and there were many choices for me. I had veggie stuffed eggplant with yogurt cucumber dressing.

The atmosphere is really great and the owner was very friendly!

I had dinner with a client who just sold her condo in Cornerstone after it was on the market for just a few days! Cornerstone has many unique designs and this was one of them. I still have another for sale there for only $102,500. Secure building gives you a good feeling about living here.



Condo at Cornerstone Commons for $102,500

Check out this link to the listing by RE/MAX North Professionals!

http://www.nnerenmls.com/nne/maildoc/eri1768_1344392618-Aug-07-2012-10_23_38pm.html



Dining area to living room

Pool on site

Consider a tour at this wonderful and affordable condominium! It is a corner condo so there is great light. Compact but with a kitchen with many cabinets, this is a great starter or retirement condo. Perfect for "snow birds." Another feature is the large storage unit in the lower level - each unit has its own 6 x 9 lockable storage.

Day in the Life of a Real Estate Agent, August 2, 2012

I was thinking of how diverse my day is and how many different deals I keep track of. It does feel like I'm "spinning plates" and trying to keep them all in the air without breaking any.

Today I drove back from NH and did business from the car for four hours. I did it on the way down the day before. I have been wondering what people did before cell phones were so popular. Everything just took a lot longer.

Examples:
- Negotiated inspection issues
- Called a lender to see where our approval was for a purchase
- Contacted the agent on the other end of that deal to inform him
- Silently cursed that we weren't getting the info we needed from the lender!
- Emailed other clients about the status of the loan for their buyers
- Made appointments for showings
- Set a closing time
- Negotiated an offer
- Called my assistant to email a document to me
- Arrived back at noon and ran home to get paperwork for an appointment
- Appointment to show property
- Had to call a seller and say a buyer had to terminate a deal
- Sent off the termination
- Negotiated the inspection issues more
- Got a call from the lender that the loan was approved (it is 6 pm now)
- Called the buyer, called the listing agent, then did a "happy dance!"
- Continued to negotiate the inspection issues and think we have verbal agreement


And this is not a busy day! I like that my job is diverse,  but I prefer it when the work takes 8 hours, not 12! But, I'm not really complaining because the market is strong and the interest rates are low.

Gotta go to bed and start over tomorrow!

New Listing $145,000!

Located at 454 Route 109 in Waterville, this wonderful home is very affordable!



Here is our new listing in Waterville, Vermont, a quintessential Vermont town with a village green for baseball games, town cookouts, and gatherings and a country grocery store. This is the view of the front of the house. It goes back quite far. There are two bedrooms officially, but a third room on the second floor is currently being used as a nursery.

Here is the view looking out the window from the living room toward the Town Hall. On the left is the country store.












This is the living room which is very large and open to the dining area. In an 1880 house, it's hard to get an open floor plan, but this house has it.










Here is  a view standing in the family room, looking past the dining area into the living room. There are hard wood and soft wood floors throughout the first floor. Windows were replaced in 2003. The state came in and did a winterization program with lots of insulation.

















There is a huge back yard with two sheds. One used to be a chicken coop! The town ball fields are next door. What a great place to live -- 15 minutes to Smugglers' Notch skiing and about 50 minutes to Burlington. 35 minutes to IBM.

Shelburne Museum -- a Vermont Treasure

Today at the Shelburne Museum the grounds were transformed to a circus theme called Circus Palooza. They already have a wonderful carved circus train exhibit that must run 500 feet in a U-shaped building. All the animals are to scale with life-like features, expressions on faces, clowns, handlers, wagons, and more. It is one of my favorite exhibits located right behind the carousel.

Today, there was a huge tent in the space between carousel and building with wonderful acts. There were also other "circus" activities for the children such as "lion taming," balloon popping and bean bag tossing. We didn't get to visit the fun house but we did ride the carousel two times.

I didn't mention the most important part of the experience was getting to visit with our granddaughter! She loved the face painting best of all.

The Shelburne Museum has an incredible collection of folk art including quilts, dolls, and Cigar Store Indian statues, to name a few. Separate buildings house these exhibits, buildings that were either built for the museum or were brought to the museum from their original location. A lighthouse from Mallett's Bay in Vermont was brought to its resting spot on a gentle slope on the museum grounds. A full size steam ship called the Ticonderoga was brought from Lake Champlain across land to its spot on the property. A recent multi-million dollar renovation brought the ship to its original splendor.

The gardens are beautifully tended and contain perennials and annuals designed in formal and informal spaces. Lilac Sunday in May features hundreds of varieties of the most magnificent smelling flowers!

My favorite exhibit by far is the Webb Memorial Building. Electra Havemyer Webb's children built a Greek Revival style building, dismantled several of the 18 rooms that were in the Webb's New York City apartment and rebuilt the rooms in the Memorial, transforming the space to look like the apartment. The walls, trim work, rugs, and  furniture was brought to  Vermont. Leather walls were removed and put on the library walls in the Memorial. Real leather!!! The bedrooms were reconstructed on site. If the Webbs had lived to see the building, it would have felt like home! But, the most incredible part of the Memorial is the art work hanging on the walls: Monet water lilies and hay stacks; Manets, Degas ballerinas, Rembrandt! The collection is outstanding. There are four Mary Cassatts including one of Luisinne Havemyer and her daughter -- little Electra! Her mother was one of the earliest collectors of Impressionist painting.

What a gem we have in Shelburne, Vermont! What a wonderful place to explore. There are reasonable memberhip prices. But if you just want to visit for two consecutive days (they let you come back the second day for free) Vermont residents with a valid license pay only $10 admission. For more information, visit shelburnemuseum.org

Great Ideas for Organizing Spaces

I am always looking for new ideas for sellers. These came from pinterest.com. This first one looks like they stacked storage bins in a little-used closet. In our house, there are no little-used closets. We are constantly looking for more space. One way to do that is to try and use EVERY available space.





Look at the purses below. Clever idea with shower hooks on the rod.

Many condos in our area have open stairways to the second floor. We have many buyers who do not like these because they have the perception of falling through -- especially if they have small children. Look at this bookshelf. Also, since many condos have no basement for storage, homeowners are looking for new storage areas.

I love this idea -- put a towel rack on the wall and hang your pot lids. It is so simple!



How's this for a clever hanging pot rack? Take an old window -- look for an architectural salvage company -- and hang hooks on it and suspend from the ceiling. In a small space you have to look at all available space at eye level plus above and below.


I am afraid that in our house we have so little space I'm discouraged and feel I'll never be able to organize it unless I pay someone to build shelves. If anyone has some clever ideas, please let me know. Look at Pinterst for ideas and be sure to share them.

Working with Cooperative Sellers

We recently listed a house in Essex and the owners wanted our help staging the home. The house is a wonderful saltbox style with four bedrooms and two and one half bathrooms. The floor plan flows well but it needed to be staged to show it in its best light.

The house has incredible curb appeal -- beautiful gardens with perennials, specialty trees, blueberries and raspberries. The lot is large enough for a woodland garden. The owners created a waterfall that runs down a back slope. Next to the waterfall is a meditaion bench. Just perfect!

Inside, the house needed some staging.



Living room

Woodland Garden

They started by decluttering. Half the books came off the bookcases and art objects were placed in staggered spots. Next we removed all the silk flowers and other artificial flowers. Eveything was cleaned off of kitchen counters except the most important cooking items. We moved a large bureau to a spare room to make the master bedroom look bigger. The mudroom was stripped of everything but  few necessary coats. Two rooms on the first floor felt as if they were lacking purpose -- are these living rooms or a living room and an office? We staged one room as a formal living room with an Iranian rug we had in our staging inventory, and the other as an office and sitting room for quiet reading.



Family Room over Garage

The feeling of size increased! The owners said they wished they had done this years ago. (I hear this all the time.)

With great photos and a virtual tour, the house shows beautifully on the Multiple Listing Service. Staging makes a huge difference but we can only stage if we have cooperative sellers. If sellers are not willing to declutter, to move furniture, and to set the home up differently for showing than they usually have it set up for living, we won't be able to present it in its best light.

Check out this listing and let me know what you think! http://www.nnerenmls.com/nne/maildoc/sd_oBosoJ20120707231107.html

Enjoying the Burlington, VT Downtown and Waterfront

We took this photo tonight at the waterfront. We had just finished having a maple creemee with our family at Burlington Bay. Afterwards, we walked past fragrant trees in flower, and sat on a bench and watched the sunset.

When we lived in Grand Isle, we were able to gaze out at the lake every day. Now we live in Burlington and see the lake if we walk or drive down. This made me think -- I get to enjoy the lake with very little effort and a lot less taxes! I have to exert some effort but I get exercise doing it. The lake is very accessible and I don't have to live right on the water to enjoy it.

We first had dinner at Leunig's, our favorite restaurant on Church Street. Our granddaughter danced to musice from street musicians. People were juggling, doing acrobatics atop piled chairs, and making balloon sculptures.

 Other restaurants we enjoy on Church Street are The Scuffer and Three Tomatoes. By the lake we eat at The Ice House and Shanty by the Shore.

As the sun was setting, the ferry from Plattsburgh came by and sounded its horn. Sailboats under motor were coming in for the night. All I could think of was how great it was to live in Burlington, Vermont and enjoy its lively waterfront. And it was especially wonderful sharing it with family.

How to Help Sellers - Even For Sale By Owners

We recently previewed a for sale by owner (FSBO) who was willing to work with Buyers' Agents and pay our commission if we brought an acceptable offer. We like previewing for sale by owners because we get to see other homes on the market that are not in the multiple listing service. We might have interested buyers and it is important to be knowledgeable about the market.  And frankly, when the FSBOs get tired of showing and marketing their homes and want to hire a REALTOR, we want them to have met us. If we have made a good impression, they might hire us.

The owner was very pleasant but clearly in a hurry to show us her home. She said she had shown it to countless REALTORS. We felt like we were on a race to see a 2000 square foot home in five minutes. "Here is the living room, here is the kitchen, here is the dining room, let's go upstairs." When I walk through a house, my eyes take snap shots of rooms, I think of ways to stage, look for water stains, cracks in foundations  -  all as I scan the rooms. This was like a nano second snap shot. My brain could not keep up!

When we finished our whirlwind tour, she sat us down and said, "Now, how can you help sell my house?"

I told her I saw some things she could do to help stage the  house if she wanted some suggestions. She said yes, but I think she meant no. I gave her the suggestions but I could tell she thought her house was just fine, thank you very much. I did not go through the list I had come up with mentally  -- put some paintings on the walls as it looks too sterile right now; paint some of the sunflower yellow and peach rooms to a neutral color; remove the laundry basket from the hallway; stage the music room. I had more. I kept my mouth shut.

We left her house exhausted. It made me think about our recent experience with sellers who are hiring us to list their home. What a contrast!

We spent three hours last Saturday walking slowly from room-to-room, evaluating the space, suggesting first to de-clutter, then to create a focal point for each room. We transformed two rooms that did not have a strong visible function. One became a library/study and the other, a formal living room. We moved paintings around to different walls; we gave away artificial trees and silk flowers; we brought an oriental rug from our staging inventory plus two bedspreads. The sellers were left with a list of improvements to make -- shampoo carpets, fill nail holes where we removed some family portraits, buy some new bath towels that they will leave out for show, pack up or donate books.

The sellers were at first hesitant to make the changes. I understand -- they have lived happily in spaces they love for many years. We explained that there is a way to live when your house is not on the market and a way to live when it is on the market. After an hour, they were tossing things into the trash with abandon. Any changes we suggested, they wrote down. That afternoon, they went to the store and bought all the items on their list including a new dining room light fixture. They love the way their house looks. "I wish we had done this years ago," they told us.

What a wonderful contrast between the willingness of our clients to listen to our advice and the FSBO owner who really didn't want to make any changes.

REALTORS view hundreds of homes every year. The Ericson Team sold 42 last year, so imagine how many we showed. We know what buyers are looking for. We also know that buyers will make a judgement in the first few minutes -- sellers don't get second chances. Buyers in their 20's and 30's are in the category we call "The HGTV Generation." They watch all the home shows to get ideas for curb appeal, decorating and remodeling. If your house isn't up to their standards, they will pass it by. We help sellers make good first impressions.

When the house we staged is listed, I'll put info and photos on this blog!

How Pinterest.com Can Help You Sell

I admit, I'm just getting started on pinterest.com, the website where people can share ideas and others can copy and "pin" them in category files. Pin them today and access them later.

I'm obsessed. I not only love looking at the site, I am amazed at how creative people are.

I have a category called "Ideas for Sellers." When I see something helpful, I pin it and drop it into that file. When selling, you not only have to declutter (you can find storage ideas on pinterest.com) but you have to make an impression. Each room needs a focal point whether it is a fireplace or fabulous granite countertops in the kitchen. Pinterest gives you ideas to create that "Wow!" moment when  a buyer walks through the door.

Closets too cluttered? Today I saw this idea made from inexpensive crown molding.






And everyone loves fire pits! What a great way to show how inviting your outdoor space is. Lots of times the house is small but if you create outdoor "rooms" or interesting gathering spaces, buyers will feel like the house is bigger than it is.







And what about this for a great space saving idea?





















If you haven't discovered pinterest.com, check it out! You won't believe all the great ideas for your home whether you are selling or not!

Your Agent Can Find the Perfect Property!

We worked with a buyer who identified the street she wanted to live on. We represented her as a Buyer Broker, so we sent a letter to all the owners letting them know we had a buyer interested in a home on their street -- were they thinking of moving?

We got a response, she liked the house very much and wanted to buy it. After some consideration, the sellers decided the timing was not right. If she could wait until the end of the summer, they would be happy to sell to her.

I check the multiple listing service several times a day, looking for new listings for our buyers. As I was looking for her, up came a listing on that street! We had seen it before but it was already under deposit, came back on the market for a day and was back under deposit again. She wasn't focused on that street at the time. Now she wanted that street and the house was back on the market! This was a foreclosure, so we were concerned there were problems with it -- maybe there was mold... or structural issues -  but I called her and we ran down to see it within the hour.

It was perfect -- great condition, better location than the other one. The listing agent said there were unresolved title issues and the previous buyers got tired of waiting for the resolution. We went right to my office and wrote up an offer. It was accepted by the bank that day!

We had to wait for title issues to be resolved. We negotiated a couple of inspection issues. But it only took about eight weeks to close.

Your Buyer Broker has a responsibility to be looking out for your best interests and that means looking for the right property. When you hire a REALTOR, he or she will comb the for sale by owners as well as the MLS for homes that fit your criteria. Because I knew where she wanted to live, I was focused on that section of the town and specifically that street. (Though we never thought another house would come on the market!) We jumped on it and she now owns the house of her dreams!

Persistence and paying attention to the market yields happy results!

Carpet in the Basement = Offers

I have a house for sale that had old carpet in the basement. It was stained from some pet and food damage (think spilled beer) but basically was acceptable for a basement. Trouble was, buyers said the basement smelled. They said it smelled like a litter box (there was one way in the corner behind a door) but the litter was always cleaned.

Then there was a back up in gutters and some water seeped in through a corner of the  basement, travelling to the carpet. Now the carpet was dirty and wet. And according to a lot of buyers, smellier.

Solution? The sellers went to Home Depot and bought low grade but nice carpet for the basement. They put it on an 18 month no interest charge knowing they would pay it off when the house sold. All of a sudden, we had about five showings a week and an offer. We are expecting a  competing offer.

And guess what, no smell. It was the carpet that was giving off a litter smell. Once it was changed, the smell was gone and the basement presented itself as great living space. This is especially important in a small house where families might outgrow the space on the main floor quickly.

It just shows that an investment of $1,000 - if it is spent correctly - can do the trick and get results!

Decorate the Deck

It's easy to create the allusion of an outside room with small changes that are not expensive.

Start with an all season table and four chairs. Place them on top of a weather resistent rug. You can find one at Bed Bath and Beyond. If the deck is low and has no side railings, put four large pots of flowers on the four corners of the deck as long as you don't obstruct passage ways. With railings, get window boxes that hang on the railings. You can get them at Gardener Supply. Over plant the flower boxes and pots so they are colorful immediately. If your deck is large, just keep adding pots of plants, grouping them together.

On an adjacent wall, place an arrangement of weatherproof art such as wrought iron or resin designs that look like wrough iron. Try Home Goods.

If you want lights on the deck, try inexpensive solar lights that normally stick in the ground. Instead, fill children's pails with sand and put the lights in the sand. You can put them anywhere around the deck to create lit activity areas. They cost about $2 each and you can get them at Home Depot and Lowe's.

This idea is especially good when you have a small condo and need to give buyers the feeling of having more space.

Multiple Offers

If a property is unique, in great condition, is in the perfect location and the right price, it will get many showings as soon as it hits the market. Buyers are bored with stale listings and are salivating for the next new home, hoping it's the perfect one for them.

If more than one buyer finds the house perfect, and they both (or more than two parties) put in offers, they find themselves in a multiple offer situation. What should you do if you are facing this?

Every situation is slightly different. Rely on your REALTOR to guide you. Generally speaking, you will need to "pull out the stops" as best you can, keeping to your comfort level. Put in as few contingencies as you feel comfortable -- most sellers expect a property inspection and I do not recommend removing that contingency. Unless you are paying cash, you have to have a finance contingency. But how can you streamline your offer? Again, rely on the guidance of your agent. They have been in this situation before.

The most important aspect of a multiple offer is price, although terms and conditions of the sale are important also. The seller wants to see what his bottom line will be. They will also check to see if you have to sell a home in order to buy. A seller might take a lower offer if the buyer does not have to sell first. You never know.

Sometimes in a multiple offer situation the one that gets the contract will offer over the asking price -- yes, even in a buyers' market, this is happening. If you want the home, don't let a couple of thousand dollars cause you to lose the house of your dreams!

Recently we were representing buyers in a multiple offer. They knew there were three offers but they would not give the asking price because they were sure none of the offers would be full price. I told them I was 99.9% sure there would be one full price and that possibly someone would go over the price. They lost the contract. The house came back on the market following a faulty inspection that couldn't be resolved. Again, a multiple offer situation and again, I could not talk them into going full price. They lost it again. Lesson learned.

Your REALTOR has been through multiple offers and can guide you. It is always your choice what you offer, but be sure you feel 100% content with your offer -- whether you give full asking price, more or less, this is your decision -- just make it an informed one.

Small Changes Make a Difference

I showed a house recently that had a great open floor plan. The kitchen was huge and opened into a family room. There was plenty of space to socialize, lots of storage areas and a large lot. Many of the floors were hardwood. The carpet was neutral and in good shape.

But I feel there are a few easy changes that the sellers could make that would help them sell their house faster and for more money. First, neutralize the wall colors with earth colors. There was sponge painting and ragged walls in three rooms. While they were done well, ragged walls are an individual taste and not appreciated by all buyers. It would be better to paint over them or at least better not to have so many ragged walls.

Second, the kitchen had two appliances that were brushed nickel and two that were not. It is better to have matching appliances. The brushed nickel choice is great, but it is better to buy all of the appliances with the same surfaces.

Lastly, the knobs on the kitchen cabinets needed simple modernizing. It would be inexpensive to unscrew the porcelain knobs and replace with brushed nickel.

It's amazing what simple changes can be made and can make a difference.
Cost:
Paint, about $50
Knobs for the kitchen, approximately $2/each, so less than $100
New stove and microwave: Depends on the brand and the bells and whistles, and these items would be the biggest investment, probably about $800 for both.

So, all these changes would be less than $1,000. If you can't afford them, consider buying at Lowe's or Home Depot and charge with their program that offers 12 to 18 months to repay. Then when your house closes, pay off the bill. I really feel this investment would help you get a higher sales price for your house and pay back your investment.

Preapproval Letters

In order to be taken seriously by a seller, buyers need preapproval letters to show their ability to buy a house. The process is easy and painless.

I suggest starting with the banking institution that you currently do business with. They can easily access all your financial information.Make an appointment to sit down with a loan officer but find out ahead of time what information they will want you to bring. Often they want a recent pay check and your most recent tax return in addition to three months of bank statements. You will need to give permission for the loan officer to run credit, so they will need your social security number.

There are many great lenders in the area. We are happy to give you names of companies we have worked with. You also might want to ask a friend who recently purchased a home and liked working with his or her mortgage company. Referrals are a great way to find a good loan officer.

Some lenders will do a preapproval over the phone, taking your information about your salary verbally. They still will need to run a credit check and will verify your salary and banking information later.

The best thing for you to do is to get preapproved before you start looking for new homes. That way you know what you can afford, are comfortable with the monthly payment and you won't look for houses that are out of your price range. Doing that will be disappointing to you and a waste of many people's time, including your own.

So, get preapproved, call us and we'll sit down with you and find out what you are looking for. We'll ask you for your "wish list" and "must haves" and then we'll go out to look at houses or condos. Getting preapproved is a good example of doing "first things first."

Looking at Future Needs When Buying

We've been showing houses to many different age groups and noticing that buyers are doing a good job looking at their future needs before choosing a house. The house might be perfect for where they are in their lives now, but they have to reject the house because it doesn't offer what they know they will need in the future.

Take the case of a recent buyer in her mid-fifties. She wants her next purchase to be her last home. While she is very able bodied now and kayaks, walks, and does yoga, she is looking to a time when as she ages, she might not be able to climb stairs. She is also thinking that her mother may need to live with her some day and wants to accommodate her if that day comes. Thinking further into the future, if one of them ever needs to be in a wheelchair, the doors have to be wide enough for a wheelchair to fit through or the doors will need to be retro-fitted.

The house therefore must be on one level. The bathroom should have a low threshold shower, if possible. And if the door is not wide enough, there has to be a way to widen it.

We found the exact house for her although it took looking at about 20 first -- because it's not just about future, but it's about present needs too. It's a balance. And she also had location requirements. The price obviously has to work also! Oh, and she did not want to have to put in a ton of money to fix it up, so condition had to be satisfactory.

I surfed the MLS for listings one day and the perfect house came on while I was on the computer. Just popped right up! I called her, we saw it within the hour, wrote the offer and got it accepted!

One level, wide doors and hallways, great condition, right price, and the perfect location!

Space Heaters

Many condominiums and some houses are heated by space heaters. You might be thinking about the portable electric kind that you carry from room to room. No, the space heaters I refer to are permanently fixed to a wall and heat a large space.

The fuels that fire these space heaters vary from natural gas, propane (LP), or kerosene. The source is either piped directly to the unit in the case of natural gas, or is stored in a large bottle-like structure that stores about 100 gallons in the case of LP gas. The storage tank is always outside. If the source is kerosene, it is stored in a tank outside. Regular heating oil cannot be stored outside but kerosene can.

The heaters are made from different manufacturers, of course, and come in different shapes and sizes. The most common ones we see are made by Rinnai or Monitor and take up the space of a large, thin suitcase! They sit against the wall in the living room, usually, and heat the air. They have economy settings or full blast heat. They can be set up to come on and off with a timer or set with a thermostat.

Often, these space heaters can heat the downstairs of a two story condo, but the upstairs is heated with electric baseboard. The entire condo would have had electric at one point and the space heater was an upgrade.

Sometimes condos will be heated with a gas stove that has a decorative front and fake logs. I think these are great as they look nice and heat a large space.

No matter what kind of space heater is used, make sure a certified specialist installs the unit or if it is already in place, make sure a specialist inspects it to make sure it is vented properly.

It is a state law that upon sale for single family homes that there is a Photo-electric type smoke detector on every living level and a carbon monoxide detector outside bedrooms. Condominiums have similar regulations and many more. Attorneys are requiring fire and safety inspections of condos to be to the Vermont code prior to closing. But why wait? All homes should have smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors up to safety standards. Check out this site to be safe! http://firesafety.vermont.gov/

Space heaters are a good substitute for electric baseboard heat although with the cost of some fuels these days, I've been wondering how electric heat compares! Never store anything on top of the heater nor cover it at any time. And space heaters are a great source of heat if you build a small addition and want to save the expense of adding onto your central heat system.

Knob and Tube Wiring

You might see what is called "knob-and-tube" wiring in an old house. Typically, you'll see it in the basement or attic space. It is an antiquated system that will need to be updated at what could be a major expense.

The way to notice it is if you see surface mounted individual conductors held in place with round white ceramic insulators. Sometimes you will see this set up, say in a basement, running along the floor joists. But with close examination, it looks like the system is no longer active -- it might have been cut and disconnected, but the materials are still there. A qualified inspector or electrician can tell you if the knob-and-tube wiring is still active.

We had some knob-and-tube at our duplex in St. Albans when we bought it. Updating the wiring was our #1 priority. Dave was an insurance agent at the time and knew we would have trouble getting a standard insurance policy with active knob-and-tube wiring. He said whatever policy we could get if the old wiring was in place would be very expensive unless we replaced the wiring. In our case, the cost was $5,000 in 2005.

We looked at a multi-family in Burlington the other day that had knob-and-tube wiring. In order for the building to get a certificate of compliance, the city required that the owners "Provide written documentation to this office from licensed electrician (sic) that the wiring is not overloaded and that the condition of the conductors and insulators is sound and substantially without defect or hazard." Many cities and towns are working hard to make sure multi-family dwellings are safe for their occupants.

For that reason, we decided to get rid of our knob and tube in our duplex -- an upgrade we were happy to make.

Broken Seals in Windows

Do you have a foggy window that will not wipe clean with Windex? You wipe the glass on the inside and outside and the moisture is still there. That's because the seal between the two panes of glass is gone. Many windows are argon gas filled -- the seal fails, the gas escapes, and moisture enters. There is a change in temperature between inside and outside of the home and the glass fogs. It's ugly.

What should you do? Inspectors will tell you that the insulating value does not change significantly when the glass fogs. However, most people do not like looking through fogged glass. We have had great luck bringing windows to a glass store (in Burlingon, VT, we use Able Paint and Glass). They can replace the glass only. I don't think they replace the gas, but the glass itself looks better when they are finished. For an average size double hung windows, the cost was about $75 to $100 per section of window.

If you are talking about a fogged sliding door, the cost will of course, be higher. You might even investigate whether it is more cost effective to replace the door itself -- the glass is bound to be less than a new door but if the door is old, it might make more sense to spend your money getting a new door.

If you are selling your house, buyers make a bigger deal of the fogged glass than is needed. They "horriblize" the situation and think it will cost a fortune to fix. So before you put your house on the market, fix fogged windows. While you are at it, cracked storm windows (triple track type) are also easy to fix at the same glass store.

Easy Mudroom Details

Most Vermont houses have a mudroom -- Mud is the Fifth season in Vermont! You many have to be creative finding a space. Or, if you already have one, make it organized and neat. We have a small mudroom, so we put a board horizontally across the space in our entryway. We screwed in knobs that you would use for cupboards in a kitchen, ones that stick out far enough to be able to hold a coat. Then we screwed the board into the space.

You can build a simple open bench in the space. Put baskets under the bench (you can get great rectangular baskets at Michael's.) Put mittens, hats, boots, lunchboxes, etc. in the baskets. Or, you could leave an area open, cut a boot tray to fit. Perfect for snowy boots.

A mudroom is not only good for organization, it's something buyers want. If you don't have one, make one out of any usuable space. If there is no space in an entryway, make it in a section of the garage by the stairs into the house. It doesn't have to be a separate room, a dedicated space will do.

Little Details that Make a House - The Kitchen

I've seen some houses in the $200,000 to $250,000 price range that have made modest changes that have helped the overall functionality of the home. The costs have been minimal. Today I'm going to write about easy kitchen ideas.

If your cabinets are old and unattractive, take off the doors and enjoy open shelves. Maybe you have been thinking of getting new dishes -- this is a good time because these dishes will now be seen and you want them to be attractive. Get square baskets, put coffee mugs inside and then put your silverware in the mugs. Now you can use a drawer for something different. If you want to keep the cabinets but they are dated, just change the knobs. Make sure you know the spacing between the screws of the current knobs if they are attached in two places because it is easier to attach them in the same holes. If you take the cabinet doors off, be sure to fill in the holes where the hinges were with wood filler and paint if they are painted cabinets. I bought my knobs online by googling "Arts and Craft Kitchen drawer pulls." We sanded and painted our cabinets and then changed the knobs They are great and make the kitchen look more authentic to the style house.

Have a nook in the kitchen that sits there with no purpose? Put shelves across and make that your pantry. Don't want to look at your canned goods? Put a curtain across.

You've decided to change your countertop and you don't have a breakfast counter? Put in an 11' overhang. Just get the contractor to cut a piece of Formica larger than you currently have. Then get a couple of chairs and it's the perfect place for quick meals or homework.

Hard to see to work on your countertops? You can get lights that are battery operated and attach them under the counter.

Need some more space? I know you love your cookbooks, but these days, so many recipes can be found on epicurious.com Use your space for more important items that you use every day -- pots and pans if you don't have a rack, Pyrex baking dishes, etc. By the way, when you have a small kitchen, a pot rack is a great space saver. I've seen some that hang flat on the wall or hang above the stove or sink. We removed a corner cupboard dividing the space in our kitchen and I found a square one that perfectly fit the footprint of the old cabinet.

Lastly, speaking of pots -- are there some you use once a year? Other fun items that you don't use often? (Pasta maker, panini machine, waffle iron) Then put some shelves in your basement or buy metal baker's shelves and put all that rarely used stuff down there. Add the boxes of bulk food you buy at Costco. Unfinished basements can be such wasted spaces.

Keep your kitchen counters clear of "stuff" and the space will look bigger. Look for places to tuck items. And you'll be more organized in the end.

Great Store to Help Furnish Your New Place

If you don't mind continuing to check every week, The Goodwill Stores on Shelburne Road and in the Taft Corners area (kind of behind Bed, Bath and Beyond) are wonderful places to pick up furniture and home goods at great prices. Most of the home goods are brand new -- glasses, dish sets, towels. The furniture is of course hit-or-miss, but worth going checking to see what new pieces have arrived. The stores are new, clean, bright, and well organized. Bring the items you don't want and bring home new ones.

If you are looking for clothes -- it's predominantly a place to find used clothes. This is a great way to recycle!

Feb 14, 2012 Free Americone Dream Ice Cream? Another reason to love Burlington, VT

I don't know if this is happening at the scoop shop in Burlington, but considering Ben and Jerry's started in Burlington, I am hoping there is free Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream being given away. Don't hold me to it! I've been trying to call the local shop.

Here is the link to Stephen Colbert's fight with Jimmy Fallon regarding ice cream flavors. http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/407604/february-01-2012/colbert-super-pac---americone-dream-super-pack It's all in fun and a way to market our favorite ice cream and the success story of two friends who started a huge ice cream company in an old gas station in Burlington, VT. Check out their history. http://www.benjerry.com/company/history/

I love walking down Church Street in the summer and seeing the long line at Ben and Jerry's. I especially love their free outdoor movies for kids. A few summers ago we bought a brownie sundae to share and sat down to watch "Up." People walked up and down Church St stopping to chat with friends as the movie played on. Great fun!

There is always something going on in Burlington, VT. That there might be free Ben and Jerry's Americone Dream on Feb 14, 2012 is a great bonus. No promises, but I'll keep you posted!

Showing Property if You Own Pets

There is nothing worse than getting to a showing and hearing a growl from behind the front door! It has happened more than once and I have to call the listing agent and tell him or her that we are not seeing the property after all.

Once, a cat started growling and when I talked softly to it, it leapt at me! Another time, one jumped from under a bed and grabbed a client's leg.

Another difficult aspect of pet owning is... stinky litter box or stinky dog smell. We all love our pets, but let's face it, sometimes they have an odor about them.

What should you do? For your dog, either come early and take the dog for a ride, or put a child gate across the boiler room or another room in the basement and leave them there. Be sure to put a sign up on the kitchen counter letting the agent know that the dog is safely behind a gate. A crate is a great solution. Again, leave a note for the showing agent.

Keep the litter box clean and fresh and leave it in a far corner of the basement. I've seen it in the bathroom before and that is not very inviting. Another bad place to leave it is at the bottom of the basement stairs.

Not much you can do about attack cats if that is what you have, other than leaving a note to "ignore the cat." Most agents are not afraid of cats, but the dogs can be serious threats if they are protecting the house. Best to take the really aggressive ones out of the house.

On another note, a friendly old Golden Retriever type can make new buyers feel at home. There is nothing sweeter than a wagging tail in your "new home."

Winter Safety

I've been thinking a lot about safety in the winter since an elderly friend of mine said she slipped on black ice walking to her mailbox. Idea #1 Volunteer to pick up an elderly neighbor's mail and walk it to their front step. They could put out a basket expressly for that. Idea #2 Buy an elderly friend (and yourself) a box of rock salt that is light weight and has a handle for shaking out the salt in front of you as you walk on your driveway.

Idea #3 The other thing I always do -- and encourage my father to do -- is to hold onto a railing whenever going down stairs. It has saved both of us!

I have wondered what I would do if I got stuck in a snow bank in the middle of nowhere. I drive a lot of country roads and while I have four studded snow tires, I never know when an accident could occur. I'm sure you can all relate to the fact that there is a lot of spotty cell coverage in Vermont. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I googled "survivor kit for cars" or something to that effect. I read several of the results and loved this one: Idea #4 http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/yago104.html His goal is to make people safe but he encourages buying the supplies at a store rather than a pre-made kit. The cost of his kit was $25. I am not sure the article mentioned a fold up shovel, but I think that should be one of the items.

Idea #5 If you have a direct vent furnace, make sure snow is not piled up and covering the vent. Idea #6 Make sure your carbon monoxide alarms have fresh batteries and your smoke alarms are of the Photo Electric type required in Vermont to be installed prior to closing -- why wait until you sell? We changed ours over to Photo Electric. We change our batteries at daylight savings and when the time comes off daylight savings. Idea #7 Have your furnace inspected and/or cleaned every year.

My motto -- better safe than sorry!

Website for Family Activities

I was searching for a website to send people to for activities in the Burlington area and stumbled upon this one right away: www.findandgoseek.net
Wow! There is so much mentioned in this website -- farm tours, places where kids can eat free, diaper services, school vacation camps, places to buy discount ski tickets! It made me wish I had young kids again!

These kinds of activities and offers are a reason why I love living in the Burlington, Vermont area. Check out the website and let me know what you think. I was impressed!

Enjoying Church Street in Burlington

I love going to Church Street and at this time of the year the lights are out on the trees. There is even a canopy of lights over Cherry Street. Even with the cold weather, people are gathering on the street. This weekend is a winter festival but all I saw tonight was a light show (very cool) and an ice sculpture outside of The Scuffer.

I love Leunigs (my favorite restaurant) and also The Scuffer. I love the Scuffer for the "comfort food" of macaroni and cheese -- high calorie but high comfort. And on Wednesdays there are two for one hamburgers, including their veggie burgers.

The Penguin Plunge was today and there were 76 teams and about 1000 participants. Our daughter jumped in the cold Lake Champlain to raise money for Special Olympics. A great day in Burlington, VT: Penguin Plunge and dinner at The Scuffer!

Testing Your House for Radon Gas

What is radon gas? It is an odorless, colorless gas that can cause lung cancer. It comes from the deterioration of uranium in soils, rock, water and can accumulate in your home without you even knowing it.

It can be anywhere -- when we lived in Grand Isle, we tested for radon in our house and it was well below the EPA standards. But the people who lived right behind us, about 100 yards away, had high radon. Everyone should test their homes for radon gas and it's very easy.

If you want a short term test (48 hours) the cost is $50 for two test cannisters. You need two to make a comparison in case your testing technique is incorrect. The test is very easy to do and the directions that come with the test are very clear. I always get them in Burlington, VT at the Health Department at the corner of Colchester Ave and East Ave. They also have free long term tests. After setting the cannisters according to directions, you leave them for at least 48 hours (follow directions carefully) and then bring the closed cannisters back to the Health Department. They will send them off to be tested and send you the results.

If your levels are too high, there is a fix to get the levels to a safe reading. The fix is relatively inexpensive.
For more information about the dangers of radon gas, about safe levels, and how to test for radon gas, please go to this site:

http://www.epa.gov/radon/

Rent vs Own -- What Can You Afford to Buy?

From Kelly Deforge of Shelter Mortgage comes a fabulous chart that shows your buying potential if you were to take your current rent and put it toward buying a home. Why pay your landlord's mortgage? No down payment you say? Talk to Kelly about Rural Development loans that can be 100% of the purchase price. No closing costs? We can talk about how to get those also. Check out the chart below and call Kelly if you have questions. Then call us to help you find a home! Already own? Please pass this on to a friend!

From Kelly Deforge of Shelter Mortgage:
Rental payments and their equivalent purchasing power for a home.
Owning vs. Renting a Home

Monthly Rent --------Home Loan Amount
$800-------------------- $167,000
$1,000------------------ $210,000
$1,200------------------ $251,000
$1,500------------------ $314,000

Contact Kelly to get pre-approved for your new home today!
Taxes and insurance are not included in these calculations.
Subject to change without notification. Information provided should not be considered as a commitment to lend. Offer subject to property and credit approval. Program and other restrictions may apply.
Please contact your Loan Consultant for further details. ©2012 GB Shelter Mortgage
Work with the lender you can trust!
Kelly Deforge Senior Loan Officer
Phone (802) 881-1517 Fax (800) 481-3604
kelly.deforge@gbmail.com
www.kellydeforge.com

When You Want to Sell in the Spring

Now is an ideal time to get your house ready to sell in the spring. One of the most important jobs you have is to declutter and the winter is the perfect time to take on that task. You spend a lot of time indoors and can focus on one room at a time.

We are not planning on selling our house but every winter, I pretend we are. The other day I tackled my closet. This is no easy task as the closets in our 1927 house are minute. I don't know if people had fewer clothes in the '20s but I can barely fit one season in my closet. So the other day I took a good look at everything jammed into the small space.

Here are the usual questions to ask: Have I worn this in the past year? Am I ever going to lose the 10 pounds (20?) needed to fit into those pants that still have the tags on them? (Okay, maybe you don't ask that question, but I do...) What about all the shoes on the bottom of the closet floor? Especially the ones that hurt after 30 minutes of wearing. (They are never going to be comfortable.) Get a large black trash bag and start loading it up for Good Will.

Next, bookcases. Am I ever going to read some of those paperbacks again? How about the hardcovers? Do I care about those authors? Could someone else enjoy those books? Box them up for Good Will.

Kitchen? Old pots and pans. Too many coffee mugs? Bring them to the office. Attic? Are there boxes still packed from the last move? Look inside quickly and get rid of the contents unless they have sentimental value. Basement? Old paint brushes, cans of paint, broken this-and-that. Get rid of them! (Dispose of paint and other paint like products properly. Chittenden Solid Waste can advise you.)

Do your walls need a fresh coat of paint? Now is the time for a new color but keep it neutral. Or touch up with the same color.

Don't worry about the garage. That can wait until the spring.

Don't wait until you are ready to sell to declutter. If you tackle everything room by room in the winter, you will have time in the spring for outdoor clean up, creating great curb appeal, and planting flowers.

So, the next cold or snowy day, pick a room, grab some black plastic bags and ruthlessly declutter. There are new Good Will stores in Williston and South Burlington. Oh, and another rule -- When you drop off your clutter to the Good Will, DO NOT bring anything new home!

Team Work in the Buying and Selling Process

We recently closed the sale of a house that was financed by a Rural Development loan. This is a government based loan that allows buyers to finance 100% of the purchase price and buy a home that is in a designated rural area. Certain towns qualify for "RD" loans. Additionally, buyers must meet guidelines for income.


RD underwriters are very particular about the house they approve for a loan. A special appraiser is a part of the process and this appraiser makes recommendations for repairs that must be made to make a house safe. Typically, electrical issues come up, broken windows need replacing, roofs need repairing. You get the idea.


In addition, buyers typically hire inspectors to go over the house and tell them where there are safety issues and where improvements should be made. Often an RD report is filled out by the inspector and sent to the underwriter.


In this recent house sale, the inspector cited a foundation wall -- really a retaining wall in the basement area that was sort of a stairway/breezeway from garage to basement -- as needing to be monitored. He did not raise concerns with the buyers. The buyers accepted the inspection. But, the inspector implied in his report that it was an entire wall of the main foundation on the footprint of the house! So, RD wanted it fixed -- and we found out late in the process!


Enter the buyer who is a Master Mason! He and the seller spent the weekend tearing apart areas of the retaining wall, putting drainage gravel in the ground and smoothing the wall with a skim coat of concrete. Voila! A beautiful wall. It passed inspection!


The house sale closed yesterday. What a beautiful example of team work! The seller wanted to sell; the buyer wanted to buy; and they all worked together to have it happen. In fact, after it was over, they opened some wine and celebrated. Is this the start of a great friendship?


Buying and selling houses requires team work: the agents, the lender, the buyer, and the seller all have to invest time and energy to make the sale work. They can compromise in some areas and in others, requirements are set in stone and can't be compromised. But in the end, if everyone pitches in, the deal comes together!














(Note from Karin: For those of you who follow my blog -- and I thank you -- I'm sorry it has been so long since my last post. There was a death in the family and that temporarily stalled my writing. But I'm back. Thanks for your loyalty.)